LEMAIRE EBISU

We designed and built the garden at LEMAIRE EBISU, the first flagship store in Japan by the French fashion brand LEMAIRE. The design was inspired by the surrounding topography, located between the Shibuya and Meguro rivers. This area, shaped by cycles of erosion and sedimentation, still retains undulating terrain, embedding a complex geological context within the city. Through ongoing dialogue with the client, who came from abroad and was new to this land, we traced the site’s history, along with its associated vegetation and cultural traces, to deepen a shared understanding of the place. The motif was a mountainside where bedrock is exposed. To accommodate functionality for events and walkability, the stones were not stood upright but laid flat, forming a stone-paved surface that balances aesthetics and use. From the center outward, the density of stone gradually decreases, allowing moss and grasses to spread naturally through the gaps. This creates a gradient that evokes ecological succession. At the client’s request, existing trees on the property were carefully preserved. By reading the natural direction of their growth and adjusting through pruning and supplemental planting, we shaped a continuous flow between old and new vegetation. Layers of topography, time, plants, and human intent quietly intersect, nurturing a sense of unity within the landscape.